RPlog:To the Sith
Life is good for Danik Kreldin. Sure, he's lost his precious Holocron. Sure, the trip to Ord Trasi was nothing more than a wild bantha chase. But life is good. The war is coming to a close. He's tapping more and more into his Force potential. He has the military and intelligence communities under his belt. He's kidnapped Sandor Woden and a Jedi, and is just about to kidnap yet one more. And he has powerful allies. Like his Master. And his Master's Master. He's most interested in meeting Emperor Aleister Vadim; he's also very keen on furthering his studies under Malign. So much to do, so little time. Right now, the old man of the Empire is sitting at his throne, his face turned to the portait of Palpatine atop the fireplace. The only light in the office is provided by the fireplace. It sets a soothing tone for the entire office, at least for Kreldin, who's currently indulging on some Corellian ale. He has no appointments... not yet, at least. He'll get busy soon enough. He's expecting Ai'kani soon, after all, and he has to oversee Woden's re-education. He just can't bring himself to kill the young man; re-education will have to work. It always does. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kreldin brings the glass of ale to his lips and takes a long sip, finishing off the ale. Life is good, and Kreldin is going to enjoy what's left of his life. It can only get better from here now. Ultimate power awaits him, as his Master said. And he believes it. In perfect contrast to Danik Kreldin, Malign, recently, was seldom happy. He was a man that felt empty to his very core, but decided his only objectives were those of furthering the agenda of his Master, Vadim. In those objectives was the simple order of training the Grand Admiral or at the very least introducing him to the Dark Side. Was he capable of such training? Vadim had left the man mostly to his own desires during his earliest years in the Sith arts and had little formal training, save for when Vadim put him in extreme positions and made him overcome. He learned quickly over short spans and painful lessons, but things were changing and becoming steadier. However, the Sith Master's way of speaking with the Corellian had changed as well and he felt that his entire mental universe was crashing down around him. Silently the Sith enters Danik Kreldin's office with his heavy cloak wrapped tightly around him. The very one that Vadim had scoffed at him for having on and masking his features, as he had always done. Even earlier he use to where a replica mask to show his total loyalty, it was all he had to offer. Slowly Malign makes his way to the side of Danik his footsteps were muted by the energies of the Force and his movement was smooth and softened by his difficult personal routine for combat and training in lightsaber combat, "Grand Admiral Danik Kreldin, why are you so pleased with yourself?" he speaks quietly, "I can smell your content heart from several levels below, even above the discouraged souls of your very soldiers." He lashes out softly at the military officer before standing to stare into the fire. Danik has not yet had the privelege of meeting with Vadim; sure, he's been a part of High Command for some time now, and assisting in and often leading the war effort, but the shadow Emperor has managed to avoid getting his hands involved with the war. He's sure the Emperor has his reasons; he is the Emperor, after all. But Kreldin is certain his time will come, soon. Just a matter of patience; and Kreldin doesn't need training from Malign or anyone to exercise patience. He's been patient his entire life. Of course Kreldin does not recognize Malign enter his office; the man is simply too quiet, and his presence in the Force is masked. Or perhaps Kreldin is simply too far uninitiated with the Force to recognize Malign all the time. He's felt some things sometimes. He just needs to learn how to hone in on it. Nevertheless, he does not jump up in surprise as Malign speaks out to him; he's been training himself not to get surprised so easily by Malign. He's been doing that a lot to him lately. Instead, Danik calmy turns his throne around to allow him to face his Master. Smiling, he places the glass on his desk and stands up in respect. "Master. What reason is there not to be content? Everything is going as I have wanted; it's perfect. And what do you mean, discouraged, Malign? Morale within the Military has never been so high... the war is nearly over! It's a time of celebration, not mourning," he says, allowing himself to grin. It's so true. Coruscant is nearly in their hands, after all, having been completely encircled by the Empire. With that gone, the "Republic," or what's left of it, will be left with only Mon Calamari as its remaining stronghold. And that can be dealt with swiftly. Everyone in the Empire knows it. Is Malign blind, or does he have some insight Kreldin does not have? Malign smirks and waves a hand dismissively toward Kreldin, "The war is never over, Kreldin, the galaxy does not see the end of it. Political bodies come and go over the years but the war, the fighting will continue until all the stars of our galaxy burn out. Our war is unseen, the true war between the warriors of the light and the warriors of the darkness." The man smiles, "Understand your happiness with be replaced with the melancholy of your role to be played in the galaxy, to become a true student of the arts of the Sith is a costly adventure. It will consume your very soul and will enter you into this eternal conflict." The embers of the fire catch the Sith's attention once more as they reflect in his dark, hazel eyes. "We need not concern ourselves with the Jedi, we must concern ourselves with the development of our skills, only then will we be capable of truly conquering. These lines on the map are so distorted now, a war gone too long and to astray from its purpose. Focus your energy on more constructive matters. Focus on becoming powerful in the Dark Side, so that you can fight the true war, the petty battles of the mundane galaxy are moot and will never solve anything." Malign pulls himself away from Danik and chuckles softly. "Ideaology wars will continue long after we are dead. What of your Empire in a thousand years? It will be no more, your entire life has been spent for a finite thing, something pathetic and pitiful that will be nothing more than a small line or two in the overall galactic history!" Malign's voice begins to raise, "That is why, Danik Kreldin, you must cast off these desires of the mundane galaxy, the idea of power in politics and the military and focus on your desires to empower yourself from a true source. That is why I am here, I am to prepare you, to open the doors, only slightly so that you can hope to push through them." Danik can't help but frown at Malign's initial words. But it quickly disappears as Kreldin gives it some thought; as far back as recorded history goes, there has always been conflict. But Kreldin understands what Malign is getting at; the strife between the Jedi and the Sith. As old as civilization itself. "I know it's going to be a difficult journey, my Master. But it's one I'm willing to take. I'm ready to become a true student of the Sith arts." He bows his head in respect, although he still has some difficulty accepting it all entirely: he's still devoted to winning the war against the Republic. It's nothing something he can give up so easily. But he's confident he can find a balance between the two. Maybe... Malign's words do strike a nerve with Kreldin. Grow more powerful in the Dark Side. Cast off the petty matters of the Galactic Civil War. He had never given much thought to his Empire a thousand years from now; Palpatine had promised a ten thousand year Empire, after all. And Kreldin believed it. He still does. He attempts to rebuke Malign's harsh words, but the old man simply cannot find the words for it. He knows when he has been beaten; he's not unfamiliar to it at all. He simply sits himself back down in his throne and gives it all some thought. He's obviously stressed, and whatever contentment he was feeling earlier is now gone. Is everything so insignificant against the Force? Is everything he's fought for these past decades all for nothing, in the totality of everything? He rubs his forehead some, sighing. Finally, Kreldin looks up at Tyler, square in the eyes, and nods his head. "Then prepare me, Malign. I'm more ready than I'll ever be." The Sith bows his head as Danik takes to his words and tries to find some way to find himself in them. It was only natural they were mortals and forced to try to make sense of everything by relating themselves and their position in galaxy. Malign and Danik's weakness was their mortality, suddenly the Sith has become truly driven to remedy that situation. Slowly Malign pulls his cloak from his body and lets it fall down behind, "What drives you Mr. Kreldin? Is it the Empire? Is it your belief in Palpatine? What makes you want to be more than an impoverished man on a street begging for coins? What puts you above normal beings of the galaxy apart from your mere power? You have the Force you must first recognize you are above all others in the galaxy. Fate has chosen to punish you and put you into the eternal struggle, we are cursed men, but with our curse comes unlimited and unimaginable power. The question is what are we before it? Do we deserve this curse? Are we being punished? Should we even bother to care about the cruelty of fate?" Malign gestures toward Danik's desk and anything small and loose suddenly slides off and crashes to the crowd. A dark energy begins to erupt from the very fiber of Malign as his features darken and he pushes his presence over the room like a black fabric being draped over a beings senses. "Our world is darkness Danik, you must learn to thrive in it. You must learn to love the cold, you must understand it, you must reach for it, aspire for the purity of it. The only light in our world is our hatred and if there is nothing to hate, hate yourself." The Sith crouches down and reaches his hand toward the fire, "Our hatred, is our fuel to power. It burns like a fire of eternity in our soul and of course one day, if we cannot adequately control it, it will consume us." Malign clinches his fist and the fire simply extinguishes itself and leaves the room in complete darkness. What drives him? Oh that's easy... Kreldin stands back up, continuing to lock gazes with his Master. "Palpatine. The New Order. My men. This war. They all drive me: drive me to continue serving the New Order, to crushing the rebellion and restoring peace and stability to the galaxy," he says with some level of pride, though he finds himself at somewhat of a loss when Tyler begins asking what puts him above others. Of course it'd be easy to say that he's a Grand Admiral, a damn good soldier, powerful, notorious, and so on and so forth. But how did he ever get there in the first place? He never really gave it much though, come to think of it... Malign is right, however. He can use the Force, however weak it may be right now. Yeah... all the power he can wield, that others cannot. Kreldin allows himself to relish in this thought, at the well of power that he can tap into. Not many people can. But he can. Smiling, Danik continues to listen in to Malign's words, knowing each and every word is vital. "A curse?" Danik looks away from Malign now, pondering these words some. Is it really a curse? It's a blessing... right? Before he can think any further, however, his eyes snap to his desk as items begin to blow off of it. And then, suddenly, the entire room began to swell in the dark side. He could feel it as much as he could feel the throne he lays his hands on, as he steps back some. As the entire room is plunged into darkness, on more levels than just Malign's putting out of the fire, Kreldin stands firm. He's not about to back down and cower. Johanna gave him some useful tips on controlling his fear. He's no longer afraid of the darkness, of the Force. He's willing - more than willing - to dwelve into it, to thrive in it, as Malign puts it. He's ready. "I have plenty of hatred to go around, my Master." Hatred of the Republic. Hatred of the Jedi. Hatred of the weak. The corrupt. Those who seek to harm the Empire, the New Order, and bring down the peace Palpatine sought to establish. Closing his eyes, he nods his head. "I won't let it consume me. I'm ready, my Master." The reaction of his new apprentice was pleasing, he had learned to control his fear, this was no doubt as a result of his many experiences with people such as his half-sister. It was easy to see what pushed Danik to these measures, he truly sought revenge, Malign knew that was enough to turn Danik into the perfect apprentice and the perfect Sith. Quietly Malign moves through the room, "You believe yourself to be ready? You have the confidence of Palpatine, and you saw what happen to him, in the end someone who thought himself so powerful met his end by the love of a father for a son." Malign almost spits, "The New Order is an unimportant to me and should be to you. It is the engine that makes it easier for our ultimate war with the Jedi but is truly unnecessary, the Dark Side is more powerful than the light, the true color of our very fabric of space is Darkness the light speckles about in small remote corners of a massive fabric, and we are the true nature of the force." Malign slips up behind the Grand Admiral and leans over to whisper in his ear, "You must find what drives you to perform, what if there was no Palpatine, no men, no new order? What would make you a man? What would make you something worth my attention? What would make you valuable to the Sith?" Just as quickly as he leans over Danik he was no across the room in a corner speaking, "The Dark Side relies on our emotion, we must let ourselves feel the passion of life and to use these emotions to empower ourselves and to drive us. Fear is the doorway, but is flawed and weak. Anger gives us strength, and hatred sustains our very existence. Focus on your emotions, find something you truly despise and then navigate the Darkness. Feel the Force, bend it and twist it to your will. See what no normal being can." "I don't believe I'm ready; I know I'm ready," Danik retorts, adding some emphasis to his words. Sure, he may be slightly overconfident, but Kreldin is rarely wrong. When he knows something, he knows something. "Palpatine was betrayed. Something not uncommon to the Sith, so I have learned," he says, recalling the few brief lessons he managed to extract from his Holocron before losing it. "Treachery is the way of the Sith, is it not?" Treachery. Hatred. Anger. Rage. Revenge. All of which Kreldin has no problem utilizing, or already excels at. He hasn't gotten this far without being treacherous, after all. Nevertheless, Kreldin still has a hard time accepting completely giving up on the New Order. "I.. I cannot believe it is truly unnecessary, my Master. The Dark side alone cannot truly conquer the light, or the galaxy, all on its own." Or can it? If it could, why did Palpatine rely on it so? A shiver is sent up his spine as Malign leans in to whisper. And Malign does bring up a good point: where would Danik be without Palpatine, without the New Order. Without the Empire. What a strange though. It's hard for him to imagine himself being any other place than he is now. "I suspect... I suspect I would still be attempting to bring peace, justice, stability and security to the galaxy, my Master. Bringing the galaxy under the fold of the darkness... that is what drives me..." Fear, anger, hatred. Something he truly despises. The Jedi? Oh yes. Them. Terrorists? Them, too. To Danik, the Jedi and the terrorists were one and the same really. All his childhood Kreldin admired the Jedi. They were his rolemodels. Their betrayal ruined his vision of the universe, however. Danik focuses on his raw emotion, his raw hatred of the Jedi. Navigate it? How? He closes his eyes and attempts to reach out with his feelings, using his hatred as the stepping stone. He tries to feel Malign in the Force, get a sense of what the dark lord was thinking. He allows the darkness to flow through him, his hatred of the Jedi sustaining him and this power. Malign stands in the shadows and listens to Kreldin as he speaks, "Treachery is a lesson you are not ready for." He says darkly. It was a lesson he couldn't be so sure even he was ready for, he was eternally loyal to his Master, Vadim. Was that a flaw of his own? It was not very important, "Where is your loyalty Kreldin to me? To the Sith? Or to the New Order, you cannot have both you must choose who to follow and who to control." The Sith allows his own anger to come forth and to fill the room tainting it with Dark energy. "You must work to tone your skills if you expect to survive Danik Kreldin. Your power is still weak, but I can sense you developing." Malign smiles gesturing and allowing the lights to illuminate the room. His hand reaches out for his cloak and it comes to him on his command. He throws it over his shoulders and bows his head. "Master Vadim, has told me to not hold on to the Jedi Brandis, I will turn him over the military, he is not to be toyed with. Be weary of the Jedi, Danik Kreldin, you are opening the doors to a great power but you are not at the level necessary to help you fight the Jedi." The Sith shrugs, "We will speak again." Slowly Malign turns to walk toward the doors of the Grand Admiral's private quarters, "Focus, Kreldin, and consider my words, soon we will continue our discussion and training." Danik takes a moment to consider. The Sith. The Empire. Can't they be one and the same? Sighing, Danik bows his head, closing his eyes. "My loyalty is to the Sith, my Master. To you. And to Master Vadim." He'll be loyal to the Sith. And he'll control the Empire. Why not? He can certainly sense the anger flowing through the room, emanating from Malign, but Kreldin does not flinch; he mustn't let the Dark lord scare him. Kreldin simply allows his own anger to come forth, his thoughts touching upon the Jedi and the rebels. But, when the light returns to the room, Kreldin calms himself down. He opens his eyes and steps around from the desk, approaching Tyler. He stops, however, in the center of the room. "Very well. Brandis is of no large concern to me; I figured he was an easy target to present to you. I am, however, after Ai'kani..." She should be on her way here as he speaks, actually. Sandor is the perfect bait. "I shall be careful, my Master. I may not be powerful in the Force just yet, but I still control vast resources and manpower. I'll make do, until I learn more and grow more powerful." Hopefully one day he won't have to rely on his Stormtroopers. He bows his head in respect as his master prepares to leave. "Farewell, my Master. I await your return..." To the Sith